There are a number of theories about the work life of Saint Joseph. Most often we associate him with carpentry due to Matthew 13:53 and Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” The Greek word is “Teckton” which means builder. So some have concluded he was more of a hands on general contractor, a guy with enough skill to work on larger projects like a house or building. In fact, some think that the rebuilding of Sepphoris, a city 4 miles from Nazareth by Galilee’s ruler, Herod Antipas, may have attracted Joseph to the area after returning from Egypt with Mary and Jesus. Others theorize he may have been stone mason due to the lack of wood in the area.
All we really do know is that he worked. He did what it took to provide for his family so his career very well may have included all of the above at one time or another throughout his life. We know that Saint Joseph was called twice by God; to know, love and serve God and to be the husband of Mary. He answered those calls but it did not preclude him from his third vocation, that of work.
If we think of Saint Joseph as a general contractor it gives his life a real world, multi-faceted dimension. Most people don’t take that logical step and conclude that St. Joseph could have well been an entrepreneur, dare I say…a businessman. St Joseph needed to be savvy enough to have the cash on hand to buy raw materials, tools, miscellaneous supplies, such as printer ink (kidding), hammers, saws, nails for his nail gun (also kidding) and perhaps a bookkeeper to keep his business humming. When we see these nice paintings of Joseph working in his workshop with Jesus looking on, no one thinks how those materials or tools got there. Everyone who runs a business knows these things didn’t magically appear every morning.
Saint Joseph had to know the importance of cash flow, had to keep tabs on his income statement and perhaps a rudimentary balance sheet. He needed to pay his suppliers, who most likely back in the day, required money in exchange for the raw materials and tools of his trade. This means he had to be paid. He actually sold his goods or his services in order to pay his vendors. None of THAT is depicted in statues and stained glass of Saint Joseph but perhaps it should be.
We also know that as Jesus grew, as per custom, he learned the trade from his earthly father.
He learned both the trade, the skills to create and build, but also the nitty-gritty of the back office operations to keep the business alive over the years. Jesus even tells a building analogy, related to his message of the Kingdom of God, in Luke 14:28-30. “For which of you desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” ” – That’s what a SAVVY business person would do. What’s the plan, can I execute on it?
The indicator of Saint Joseph’s ambition and success was that he profited from his work. You know, profit, that difference between what Saint Joseph sold his products or services for less the cost of his raw materials.
This profit, which was created by the sweat of St. Joseph’s brow, was used to provide for his family; to house, clothe, feed and protect Mary and Jesus, to perhaps save for retirement, or provide for the holy family after his death, to give to the poor, to pay his taxes and perhaps even contribute to the very first “capital campaign” of the nascent church.
